Mapusa councillor disqualified after OBC cert found unverified

PANAJI: The director of urban development has disqualified Tarak Arolkar, a councillor of Mapusa municipal council (MMC), following cancellation of his Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate, based on which he had contested the election from reserved ward seven.
He had also unsucessfully contested the 2022 assembly elections from Mapusa on the TMC ticket.
Since the OBC certificate issued to Arolkar has been cancelled, he no longer remains a MMC councillor, director Gurudas Pilarnekar has informed the municipality.
“Under Section 49 of the Goa Municipalities Act, 1968, a person who ceases to be a councillor for any reason shall vacate all the offices held by him by virtue of him being a councillor,” Pilarnekar said.
The urban development department has informed the state election commission about the vacancy to facilitate a by-election.
Arolkar was elected as chairman of the lighting of public streets and library committee, besides being a member of the public works, sanitation, and drainage committee of the council.
A scrutiny committee for verification of caste certificate had declared that the OBC certificate issued to Arolkar was not verified, and directed the deputy collector of Bardez to cancel it. It had also observed that Arolkar had got the benefit of the OBC certificate which enabled him to contest from the reserved ward.
A former councillor, Francisco Carvalho, had approached the directorate of social welfare challenging the OBC certificate issued to Arolkar.